NOTES : Devils’ Owner Values Loyalty

Just when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell reminds us professional sports is big business, and owners are out to get every dime they can, along comes John McMullen, the owner of the New Jersey Devils.

McMullen could have signed a sweetheart deal with Nashville, Tenn., during the off-season that would have meant sky boxes, club seating and a lucrative $20 million relocation bonus.

Instead, he settled for less to keep his team in New Jersey through 2007. He’ll get a break-even lease and $5.2 million in sale of club seats, arena improvements and other new sources of revenue.

It sounds so nice. Slap McMullen on the back, but don’t be fooled into thinking he was merely being magnanimous.

McMullen obviously had his reasons. Perhaps at age 70, after living his entire life in New Jersey, he couldn’t face moving. And he was able to extract enough money out of New Jersey to make it worth staying. Certainly, he will be operating in a bigger market in northern New Jersey than he could have hoped for in Nashville.

And on top of it all, he gets the added perk of looking good.

The long-term deal signed at the Meadowlands “can’t compete with Nashville,” McMullen said. “Nashville was a dream; unfortunately the arena wasn’t in New Jersey.”

That’s not to say he didn’t use Nashville as leverage. Certainly he did. What businessman wouldn’t? But McMullen also was influenced by a family heritage that began in the state when his grandparents moved there from Ireland. And, he says, he was influenced by the 30,000 fans who showed up for a rally in the arena parking lot to celebrate the team’s championship last June.

“People don’t believe me,” he said. “But that rally really did have an effect on me. Sporting teams are quasi-public institutions. I think that was more or less the turning point in my attitude.” said McMullen. “In my mind, we sport owners are making a contribution, and I know that sometimes it’s not accepted and it’s twisted or turned, but I have to tell you frankly, my objective with this franchise was to make sure we could operate a competitive team.”

Since he became National Hockey League commissioner in 1993, Gary Bettman has stressed his desire to keep franchises stable. “These are wild times in professional sports as it relates to franchise stability,” Bettman said as he celebrated the New Jersey announcement.

Bettman has had his successes and his failures. The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado. Next season the Winnipeg Jets will move -- somewhere -- and the Florida Panthers have announced they’re for sale.

But agreements have been worked out to keep teams in Edmonton and Calgary for the long term, and the Hartford franchise has been stabilized.

And the Devils remain in New Jersey.

*

Paul Cavallini, who began his NHL career as the Washington Capitals’ ninth choice in the 1984 entry draft and became an all-star with the St. Louis Blues in 1990, has seen minimal playing time for the Dallas Stars in this, his 10th season, and has decided to retire this week.

“I’ve got two small children and at this time in my life, I didn’t want to finish my career in the minors,” said Cavallini, 30.